Pratt Center for Community Development

Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE), Greenville, MS

The rural African-American communities of the Mississippi Delta were slow to see the gains that were being made by the civil rights movement in the late 1960s. Delta residents had been disenfranchised for so long that when members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) first came to the area to carry out a voter registration project, they were met with great skepticism. SNCC's early grassroots organizing activities helped to build a sense of power and potential for change, however, that enabled people to tackle the deeply ingrained inequities and racial discrimination that their poverty-plagued rural communities had experienced for decades. A newly recognized sense of capacity to bring about social change inspired residents to create a permanent institution - a community development corporation (CDC) - that would build upon the gains made by the civil rights movement.

Building on Civil Rights

Given the Delta's deepening ties to the national movement, it is no surprise that the founders of the Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE) were a group of activists who were members of SNCC and other civil rights organizations. Most of the fifteen men and women who came together in 1967 to form MACE were born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, and had personally experienced the challenges facing African-American rural communities. As Ed Brown, MACE's first president and CEO recalls, "We did not participate in any of the decisions that affected our lives. So the emphasis was on creating those kinds of institutions that facilitated participation." With their experience in creating change through democratic vehicles, the founding members of MACE had the capacity to build effective coalitions and mobilize their constituency. MACE's approach to this work was heavily influenced by SNCC's philosophy of grassroots leadership development. One of MACE's former presidents, Larry Farmer, explains that their strategy was "to build a cadre of skilled local community leaders - indigenous persons who were not likely to leave - and to train and equip them with the skills necessary to build a membership base, and to build institutions in the process."

Incorporation as a Means of Citizen Empowerment

One of the greatest problems facing impoverished black communities in the Delta was their difficulty in gaining an equitable share of government funds for basic municipal services. Because they lived in areas that did not have recognized units of government, they could not contest these discriminatory practices. Thus, another essential component of MACE's early work was its assistance to communities in the Delta who were attempting to become incorporated municipalities. By seeking legal incorporation, the citizens of these communities were empowered to govern themselves and to demand an equitable share of public resources. One of MACE's earliest projects trained 260 local residents to systematically analyze the discrepancies between the services available to white and African-American communities in the Delta region. The findings resulted in six municipal equalization suits, which MACE helped to file. Through these class action lawsuits and five municipal incorporations, more than $40 million worth of public facilities and services, including fire and police protection, water and sewer lines, and paved roads, was leveraged. As part of the process of incorporation, MACE also helped these communities to develop decent, affordable housing.

Economic Development in the Delta

Two years after MACE was formed, its leaders came to recognize the growing need for economic development in the Delta. They reasoned that leadership training and advocacy would not be effective without strategies for tackling the problems of unemployment and disinvestment. Thus, in 1969 they created the Delta Foundation to focus exclusively on strengthening the economic base of the region and creating job and investment opportunities for local residents. Since that time, MACE and the Delta Foundation have developed and operated numerous manufacturing enterprises and have provided loans and financing for small rural businesses, particularly those owned by minorities. In the area of manufacturing, the Delta Foundation has ventured into the production of apparels, metal parts, and electronics. While some of these business ventures have produced returns, others have not shown great economic profitability. Nevertheless, they have all created desperately needed employment opportunities for the residents of the area. In addition, they have helped people to build the skills needed in today's highly competitive job market.

The decision to form the Delta Foundation as a separate economic development entity was based on MACE's insistence that its central mission of advocacy and human development not be compromised. As Larry Farmer reasoned, "because of the political and racial nature of organizing, MACE could end up fighting some of the folks they'd need to do business with later." By functioning as two separate organizations, however, MACE and the Delta Foundation could carry out advocacy and development in tandem. Today, the two organizations seek to coordinate their activities whenever possible. A direct link between the two is maintained through an overlap of their boards. They frequently collaborate on housing and human development projects in which the Delta Foundation typically provides affordable financing and technical assistance and MACE develops and runs social service programs that assist people through education in child development, literacy, financial planning and other areas. MACE also supports local leadership and institutional development efforts.

Building Human Capital

The centerpiece of MACE's mission is human development. Because of inadequate education and training opportunities, many residents of the Delta are uncompetitive in the job market. In order to build human capacity in the region, MACE runs a number of educational programs, including high school equivalency and literacy classes. In addition, MACE offers programs that help parents to make their homes an educational and nurturing environment for their children. These social services focus on the entire family, rather than one member. As Larry Farmer points out, "What we're trying to demonstrate is that there is an interrelationship of people's problems. If we're talking about family literacy and we're going to teach the child, then why shouldn't we teach the mom? Doesn't the mom play a role in the education of her child?"

MACE's human resource development programs range from highly specialized vocational courses to general leadership education that builds the capacity of the organization's local affiliates. In order to diversify the skills of seasonal farm workers, MACE provides courses in child care, bookkeeping, and secretarial work. It also expands the employment options of women by training them to work in traditionally male fields such as construction and carpentry.

Celebrating the Delta's Blues Culture

MACE is probably most widely known for the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival, which takes place annually in Greenville, Mississippi. Charles Bannerman, president of MACE from 1972 to 1986, recognized the cultural importance of the Blues, which was born in the Delta. He first came up with the idea of sponsoring a musical event that would generate income for the organization and preserve a vital indigenous resource. Now in its eighteenth year, the popularity of the festival has grown immensely. It attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country, and has spawned year-round tourism. Aside from bringing revenue into the area, the festival cultivates local blues talent, instills a sense of pride among local residents, and brings people of all races together to celebrate the culture of the Delta.

Maintaining a Base in the Community

MACE has always been an affiliation of county-based groups. Its original board of directors was made up of the founding members and representatives of these organizations. Currently, MACE's fifteen- member board is elected by the boards of MACE's fourteen affiliates. Each of the counties in its catchment area is divided into smaller "beats" which have bi-weekly meetings to discuss local issues. The beats send two representatives to the county-wide board, whose members are often small farmers, laborers, or retired members of the local community who help to formulate programs that meet their area-specific needs. This structure is based on MACE's longstanding commitment to ensuring that the community has a means of contributing to the organization's agenda. "The idea behind the creation of these local organizations is that they would be the center of community life," founding president Ed Brown describes. "Whatever issues that were of concern to the community could be addressed by these vehicles."

Due in part to its deep roots in the civil rights movement and its resistance to financial dependence on the government it was fighting to change, MACE did not accept federal or state funding for the first decade of its existence. MACE's leaders were especially concerned that the political nature of public sector financing would force them to compromise their mission. As Farmer points out, "We saw too many downsides in terms of how your operation could be either virtually hampered or halted completely by the feds." Like many other CDCs throughout the country, MACE changed its position on funding over the years. In order to sustain its operations, MACE now seeks revenue from private foundations and corporations, all levels of government, and religious and fraternal organizations. It also raises income through membership dues and program generated revenues.

Holistic Approaches to Development

In recent years, MACE has become increasingly aware of the need to combat poverty on various levels. It has found that the individual problems low-income people face cannot be treated as isolated setbacks that are easily resolved by providing a job or a social service. As Brown points out, "there has to be a more holistic approach toward community development. Previously we looked at economic development as being the vehicle, and it became synonymous with community development. We separated that out from the human resource development aspect of it, and we separated that out from the political development. Unless they all work in tandem, then you're at great risk of not being able to succeed." Based on this understanding, MACE has made a concerted effort to integrate advocacy, the provision of social services, and economic development in a way that will attack the root causes of poverty.

While advocacy is no longer the centerpiece of MACE's agenda, the organization has recognized the need to continue to fight against policies that perpetuate poverty. Currently, MACE is attempting to bring attention to what it sees as a bias in federal policy that results in the inequitable distribution of resources in the country. Because recent debates on poverty have focused on inner-city neighborhoods, MACE is concerned that poor rural areas do not get their fair share of development funds. As Farmer argues, "We've got to reemphasize the importance of having a rural America. Otherwise we're going to have more of what I see as regional 'ghetto-ization.' The Delta of Mississippi is a huge regional ghetto."

Expanding MACE's Investments in Leadership

Early on, MACE's founders believed that their job would be finished once their investments had created a stable leadership base in the community. They predicted that the organization would be out of business once its local affiliates were self-sufficient. Today, it is clear that the task of eradicating the widespread problems of poverty and inequity is by no means accomplished in the Mississippi Delta. Therefore, MACE does not plan to slow its efforts to bring about social and economic change in the region anytime soon.

With over 25 years of experience, MACE has become increasingly interested in sharing its development strategies with other parts of the country. As Ed Brown explains, MACE now has "the luxury to think about a broader, more cooperative kind of element. People are emerging with a sense that there is much more wisdom in trying to figure out how to coordinate and cooperate than to paddle their own boat." In order to build community leadership in other parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, MACE has established the Charles D. Bannerman Rural Community and Economic Training Institute. MACE's energy and vision promise to spread leadership capacity throughout the region and the country.

Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE)
119 South Theobald Street
Greenville, MS 38701
(601) 335-3523